{"id":2217,"date":"2026-06-24T22:05:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T22:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2217"},"modified":"2026-06-24T22:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T22:05:06","slug":"south-florida-fans-follow-haiti-celebrate-historic-world-cup-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2217","title":{"rendered":"South Florida fans follow Haiti, celebrate historic World Cup return"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Wilton Antoine, a South Florida restaurant owner, said his journey following the Haiti national team started back in 1994.<\/p>\n

Read more Some Broward students will be automatically eligible for free lunch in 2026-27 school year: What to know<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cEver since then, I\u2019ve been dreaming of the Haitian national team being in the World Cup,\u201d Antoine said.<\/p>\n

Antoine said he and other supporters flew to Cura\u00e7ao for the qualification game on Nov. 18.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat day was like the best day of my life when it comes to joy, like the tears and the joy,\u201d Antoine said. \u201cThe laughter, the tears, the joy that we see on every single player\u2019s faces \u2026 that day was just simply amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antoine said seeing Haiti in the World Cup after 52 years is hard to describe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWords cannot even describe how I actually feel,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Antoine said the trip has taken fans to Boston, Philadelphia and Atlanta. For the Atlanta game, he said the group wanted to make the trip \u201cfun and memorable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe actually planned this for months since we actually found out that Haiti was going to be in the World Cup,\u201d Antoine said.<\/p>\n

He said the group rented a shuttle bus and gathered about 30 to 40 friends from South Florida. They met at one of his Pearl of the Island restaurant locations in Margate before driving to Atlanta.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like an amazing trip,\u201d Antoine said. \u201cWe stopped on the road, we played soccer \u2026 it was really amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antoine said the group had not slept all night before arriving at the stadium and Fan Fest.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people here are just amazing and friendly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For Antoine, Haiti\u2019s World Cup appearance is more than one game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s enough words that can actually describe the way I feel,\u201d he said. \u201cThis has been like a dream or something that we\u2019ve been dreaming about for years, for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the Brazil versus Haiti game was \u201cthe best day of my life, the best experience I\u2019ve had in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though Haiti was already out of the World Cup, Antoine said that did not change his support.<\/p>\n

Read more Neymar arrives with Brazil\u2019s team, is available for World Cup group match against Scotland<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThat did not mean anything to me,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m going to support my team no matter where they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antoine said the moment carries deep meaning for Haitian fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis game, to a lot of Haitians, to us, it means the world to us,\u201d he said. \u201cEspecially knowing the condition our country is in, and what we have to endure to actually reach to where we are right now, without having to play that single game at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antoine said one of his dreams is to see the team go to Haiti and visit the people there.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, it would be another dream come true for me personally to see the team after this game is over, for them to be able to actually go back home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said fans in Haiti are \u201csimply amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Haitians in South Florida and Haiti fans watching, Antoine said his message is simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if we win or lose,\u201d he said. \u201cThe idea is we are actually in the World Cup. This alone should be enough for us to be satisfied and be happy and support the team no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antoine said fans should be proud of the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want them to be proud of the boys,\u201d he said. \u201cI want them to keep supporting them.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said Haiti making it to the World Cup is already something to celebrate.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, we made it to the World Cup,\u201d Antoine said. \u201cDo you know how many other countries wish they could be in this World Cup? A lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antoine said he is already thinking about 2030 and hopes to create a fan club so supporters can travel together.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s keep supporting the team no matter what,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is the team of the future. We got this. Let\u2019s go Haiti!\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more On Video: Wild RV chase in Osceola County results in crash, arrest<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wilton Antoine said seeing Haiti in the World Cup after 52 years is a dream \u201cwe\u2019ve been dreaming about for years, for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-world-cup"],"yoast_head":"\nSouth Florida fans follow Haiti, celebrate historic World Cup return - Jacksonville Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2217\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Florida fans follow Haiti, celebrate historic World Cup return - 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